Many of our visitors would know that our Br Paul O'Keeffe has been off in the wilds of Ireland for the past twelve months preparing himself for his new ministry in our formation house in Aitape, Papua New Guinea. He will take over as novice master from Br Peter Ryan. There are not any novices at the moment, but there will be within a matter of months. (Photo: Paul in Aitape in 2004.)

Paul, of course, was our provincial leader from 1998 to 2004. In his time he has been the principal of St Charles Primary School, Ryde, Borromeo Preparatory School, also at Ryde and Sacred Heart Primary, Thursday Island. But before all this, in 1975, as a very young lad of twenty-four, he volunteered to teach at St Ignatius High School, Aitape, Papua New Guinea. He taught in the school until the end 1981 when he returned to Ryde, but certainly a part of him remained in Aitape, and he has taken every opportunity since to return to Aitape - and there have been several opportunities, especially in his role as provincial.

The formation programme in PNG, training young men to become Patrician Brothers, has always had Paul's full support over the years, despite the endeavour looking very fragile at times. Now this support is to be quite a physical one as he takes up residence on Bishop's Hill, is orientated by Br Peter, and begins preparations for the novitiate stage of the young Papua New Guineans training.

At a small farewell and missioning ceremony held at the Brothers' house at Casula on the 25th August, Paul admitted that while he was excited to be now stepping into what he had been preparing himself for over the past few years (Paul has also just completed his Masters of Theology) he is a little apprehensive. Not so much about the new work he is stepping into, ground which has been well prepared by such brothers as Michael Vella, Philip Turner, Peter Ryan and Thomas Rice, but more about having to leave his Mum for two years. He feels he can now better empathise with the Irish Brothers who have had to leave father and mother behind to work in Australia. (Photo: Paul addressing the Brothers at the missioning ceremony.)

The gathering at Casula congratulated and thanked Paul for taking on the challenging ministry of novice master and assured him of their full support.